This blog is part of our reflective Learning Activity given by a teacher (Dept. of Eng. MKBU). Click here to know more.
On 9th September 2018, we had film screening of the two films first was "Midnight's
Children"(Novel written by Salman Rushdie) directed by Deepa Mehta and second was
"The Reluctant Fundamentalist"(A Novel written by Mohsin Hamid) directed by Mira Nair.
So, our task is to give review of these films with the perspectives of The Postcolonial
Studies, so I will try to connect films with postcolonial approaches.
# Midnight’s Children :-
"Midnight's Children"a novel written by British-Indian Novelist Salman
Rushdie and filmed by Deepa Mehta. The film was very popular in foreign countries and
well criticized in India also. The film didn't cover up all the things written deeply in the
novel due to time period of the movie so it's looks like the collage of many things like
history, culture, Colonialism. freedom movement, etc.
The story of the film begun with the year of 1917, the birth year of Indira Gandhi and
end with the emergency or we can say that the last stage of Indira Gandhi's Life. The story about the
Children who were born in the stroke of the midnight 15th august 1947 with the magical power, in
which two major character like Saleem Sinai, the protagonist belong to reach family while the Shiva
who was born in poor family later joined the Army and fought in the battle with Pakistan to free
Bangladesh.
The main idea of hybridity in culture and identity we can see in the movie, as per the quote
'Let reach to be poor and poor to be reach' Saleem, actually, the son of British man William Methwold
and poor Marathian lady and the Shiva was the son of Ahemad Sinai and Amina, but, Mary, a nurse in
the hospital changed these both baby boy with each other because her lover was a Marxist and
pursued mary to protest against elite class. Furthemore, Saleem went to pakistan and Shiva Joined
Indian Army, so here we can see the partition of India and pakistan. later on, After the war, Saleem
came to India, his mother land and marry with Parvati, beloved of Shiva and she gave birth to baby
boy who was the son of Shiva so, we again see the hybridity. And also we can see the culture of India
like snake Charmer. So this way movie ended through various perspectives.
Postcolonial Point of View:-
*Hybridity:- Hybridity means Something that is formed by combining two or more
things. Here, in the movie we can see the hybridity in the identity, Saleem is the perfect
example of hybrid man, who was the son of colonizer and poor Indian lady and also the
other character, Shiva was another example of hybrid man who was the son of Muslim
parents. If we see the hybridity in culture then we can give the example of
west(Methwold) and east(Poor Indian lady) .
*Feminism:- Postcolonial theorist also studies the culture and literature with the feminist
perspective. In the beginning of the movie Doctor did not allow to examine Naseem's illness to see
her body, there was a curtain between doctor and Naseem and her father said that ,
" You Europe returned chappies forget certain things. Doctor sahib,
my daughter is a decent girl, it goes without saying. She does not flaunt her body
under the noses of strange men. You will never understand that you can not be
permitted to see her, no, no, not in any circumstances; accordingly. I have required
her to be positioned behind that sheet. She stands there, like a good girl(Rushdie
2011)."
Another example is when Mumtaz, Saleem's mother got married with Ahemad Sinai, that
time Ahemad gave her new name Amina. So, we can see the power of patriarchy in the movie and
also a exploitation of poor Indian lady by Britisher Methwold.
*Magic Realism:- Magic realism also a part of postcolonial studies. Magic Realism is a
narrative style which adds beauty to the historical representation in the movie otherwise it
is boring to watch. The Midnight's Children were not ordinary kids but they have power,
like, Saleem has power of sense of smell to feeling the different things and people where
as Parvati also has power like Abrakadabra to hide people and things in the basket.
#The Reluctant Fundamentalist:-
“The Reluctant Fundamentalist” novel written by Pakistani Writer Mohsin Hamid and then
adopted in film directed by Mira Nair in 2014. The story is about the young man Changez Khan who
attracted to American Business culture. He was an intellectual and respected person in American wall
street business company.
The Story Begun with the interview of American CIA agent Bobby Lincoln for the abduction
of American Professor in Pakistan. Bob was Taking interview of Changez Khan in the Coffee cafe in
Lahor that he may be involved in this abduction or in the matter of 9/11. Here Mira Nair interestingly
used the flashback technique which was move us from Pakistan to America in eye opening way. The
title of the movie give us two different views one is that fundamentalist in terrorism and other
business fundamentalist.
Postcolonial Point of view:-
If we see this movie with the perspectives of the postcolonial studies so we have
to apply Edward said's 'Orientalism' and also apply the race theory. We can say that why
western countries and especially America looking towards Muslim countries as countries of
terrorism? It is all about the illusion of america that every Muslim are terrorist. America Know
that if we want be in power position so that we have to destroyed all Muslim countries in the
name of terrorism. One may have question like Muslim countries are more in the number then
other religion, then why they don't take action on America. But, actually, because of
obsequiousness of Pakistan and Saudi Arab others countries unable to convince that all
Muslims are not like that.
In the movie also Changez faced problem because he belong to Muslim country. All
countries and their movies show the villains almost are Muslim. They succeeded to built this kind of
stereotype in the mind of other religion's people. America only see their 3000 Americans died in this
attack but they do not see that they killed billions of Muslims in Gulf war and in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Syria wars. If world want to make peace in the earth then all have to protest against America to stop
terrorism because "America is the mother of terrorism."
On 9th September 2018, we had film screening of the two films first was "Midnight's
Children"(Novel written by Salman Rushdie) directed by Deepa Mehta and second was
"The Reluctant Fundamentalist"(A Novel written by Mohsin Hamid) directed by Mira Nair.
So, our task is to give review of these films with the perspectives of The Postcolonial
Studies, so I will try to connect films with postcolonial approaches.
# Midnight’s Children :-
"Midnight's Children"a novel written by British-Indian Novelist Salman
Rushdie and filmed by Deepa Mehta. The film was very popular in foreign countries and
well criticized in India also. The film didn't cover up all the things written deeply in the
novel due to time period of the movie so it's looks like the collage of many things like
history, culture, Colonialism. freedom movement, etc.
The story of the film begun with the year of 1917, the birth year of Indira Gandhi and
end with the emergency or we can say that the last stage of Indira Gandhi's Life. The story about the
Children who were born in the stroke of the midnight 15th august 1947 with the magical power, in
which two major character like Saleem Sinai, the protagonist belong to reach family while the Shiva
who was born in poor family later joined the Army and fought in the battle with Pakistan to free
Bangladesh.
The main idea of hybridity in culture and identity we can see in the movie, as per the quote
'Let reach to be poor and poor to be reach' Saleem, actually, the son of British man William Methwold
and poor Marathian lady and the Shiva was the son of Ahemad Sinai and Amina, but, Mary, a nurse in
the hospital changed these both baby boy with each other because her lover was a Marxist and
pursued mary to protest against elite class. Furthemore, Saleem went to pakistan and Shiva Joined
Indian Army, so here we can see the partition of India and pakistan. later on, After the war, Saleem
came to India, his mother land and marry with Parvati, beloved of Shiva and she gave birth to baby
boy who was the son of Shiva so, we again see the hybridity. And also we can see the culture of India
like snake Charmer. So this way movie ended through various perspectives.
Postcolonial Point of View:-
*Hybridity:- Hybridity means Something that is formed by combining two or more
things. Here, in the movie we can see the hybridity in the identity, Saleem is the perfect
example of hybrid man, who was the son of colonizer and poor Indian lady and also the
other character, Shiva was another example of hybrid man who was the son of Muslim
parents. If we see the hybridity in culture then we can give the example of
west(Methwold) and east(Poor Indian lady) .
*Feminism:- Postcolonial theorist also studies the culture and literature with the feminist
perspective. In the beginning of the movie Doctor did not allow to examine Naseem's illness to see
her body, there was a curtain between doctor and Naseem and her father said that ,
" You Europe returned chappies forget certain things. Doctor sahib,
my daughter is a decent girl, it goes without saying. She does not flaunt her body
under the noses of strange men. You will never understand that you can not be
permitted to see her, no, no, not in any circumstances; accordingly. I have required
her to be positioned behind that sheet. She stands there, like a good girl(Rushdie
2011)."
Another example is when Mumtaz, Saleem's mother got married with Ahemad Sinai, that
time Ahemad gave her new name Amina. So, we can see the power of patriarchy in the movie and
also a exploitation of poor Indian lady by Britisher Methwold.
*Magic Realism:- Magic realism also a part of postcolonial studies. Magic Realism is a
narrative style which adds beauty to the historical representation in the movie otherwise it
is boring to watch. The Midnight's Children were not ordinary kids but they have power,
like, Saleem has power of sense of smell to feeling the different things and people where
as Parvati also has power like Abrakadabra to hide people and things in the basket.
#The Reluctant Fundamentalist:-
“The Reluctant Fundamentalist” novel written by Pakistani Writer Mohsin Hamid and then
adopted in film directed by Mira Nair in 2014. The story is about the young man Changez Khan who
attracted to American Business culture. He was an intellectual and respected person in American wall
street business company.
The Story Begun with the interview of American CIA agent Bobby Lincoln for the abduction
of American Professor in Pakistan. Bob was Taking interview of Changez Khan in the Coffee cafe in
Lahor that he may be involved in this abduction or in the matter of 9/11. Here Mira Nair interestingly
used the flashback technique which was move us from Pakistan to America in eye opening way. The
title of the movie give us two different views one is that fundamentalist in terrorism and other
business fundamentalist.
Postcolonial Point of view:-
If we see this movie with the perspectives of the postcolonial studies so we have
to apply Edward said's 'Orientalism' and also apply the race theory. We can say that why
western countries and especially America looking towards Muslim countries as countries of
terrorism? It is all about the illusion of america that every Muslim are terrorist. America Know
that if we want be in power position so that we have to destroyed all Muslim countries in the
name of terrorism. One may have question like Muslim countries are more in the number then
other religion, then why they don't take action on America. But, actually, because of
obsequiousness of Pakistan and Saudi Arab others countries unable to convince that all
Muslims are not like that.
In the movie also Changez faced problem because he belong to Muslim country. All
countries and their movies show the villains almost are Muslim. They succeeded to built this kind of
stereotype in the mind of other religion's people. America only see their 3000 Americans died in this
attack but they do not see that they killed billions of Muslims in Gulf war and in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Syria wars. If world want to make peace in the earth then all have to protest against America to stop
terrorism because "America is the mother of terrorism."
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